Daryl Morey and the Philadelphia 76ers went to great lengths to trade for James Harden last season. They got rid of Ben Simmons' complicated situation, but they also sacrificed a lot to get Harden to Wells Fargo Center.
And, while the team showed glimpses of greatness with him and Joel Embiid together, the outcome was the same as usual.
He'll Settle For Less Money
Harden was far from the explosive scorer he was back in the day. He knows the team needed to add more talent in the offseason, which is why he agreed to take a massive pay cut in his next contract:
“I had conversations with [team president Daryl Morey], and it was explained how we could get better and what the market value was for certain players. I told Daryl to improve the roster, sign who we needed to sign and give me whatever is left over,” Harden told Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes. “This is how bad I want to win. I want to compete for a championship. That’s all that matters to me at this stage. I’m willing to take less to put us in position to accomplish that.”It Will Pay Off
The Sixers brought in P.J. Tucker, Danuel House Jr., Trevelin Queen, and De'Anthony Melton in the off-season, so Harden feels like his approach has paid off already:
“I think we have a much deeper team,” Harden added. “That’s something we wanted to address. If you look at our team now, we’re positioned to go a lot further. I like how we stack up with the rest of the top teams.”He Wanted To Show His Commitment
Harden had already hinted at the possibility of taking less money to show his commitment to the Sixers organization. Now, he's living up to his word:
“Taking less money this year to sign as many players as we needed to help us contend and be the last team standing was very important to me,” he told the media. “I wanted to show the organization, the Sixers fans and everybody else who supports what we’re trying to accomplish, what I’m trying to accomplish individually, that this is what I’m about.”It's Harden's Last Chance
Harden is a first-ballot Hall of Famer and one of the greatest scorers of all time, yet people often question his legacy and determination to win.
The clock is ticking on him and he hasn't been healthy over the past couple of years, which is why this might as well be his last chance to win an NBA championship before retiring, or at least his final shot while still being in his prime.
]]>The Inquisitr
